Across the Galaxy
by Chantal du Lac
Summary: As the new Emperor, Darth Kai faces many challenges: destroy the Jedi Order, crush General Hux's rebellion, consolidate his power and win a certain princess' heart. The odds seem in his favor, especially when Kylo Ren offers his help. But can Jamie Kenobi still do something about it? Sequel to White Knights and Dark Apprentices.
1. Chapter 1

**Across the Galaxy**

 **A/N: This is the Sequel to White Knights and Dark Apprentices.**

 **Many thanks to BlackRoseRaven for betaing this story!**

 **Chapter One**

It was almost dawn.

Kylo Ren opened his eyes and took a deep breath. No dream that night. Things had definitely been improving since Rey had come to his side.

For a moment more he laid quietly on the bed, beside his beloved, contemplating her sleeping form. Her naked back was turned to him, but she was almost glued to his warm body, like always. Their deep connection told him she was sleeping soundly. Focusing a bit, he could tell what she was dreaming of: a tiny island in the middle of a quiet and vast lake. He knew the place well: it was not far from their current dwellings. On the island there was a castle, surrounded by beautiful gardens. His grandmother's house on Naboo. Her dream was beautiful and Kylo knew she would not wake up if he left now.

He stood up carefully and looked out the window at the immensity of the lake. He could barely perceive the green shores on the other side. Every morning fog persisted on the surface of the lake until the first bold rays of light chased it away. But today he had no time to linger in contemplation. He had to leave before Rey woke up.

He grabbed his clothes and his lightsaber and headed out swiftly to their ship. There was no one in sight and Ren was relieved. No one could know where he was heading to, and whom he was going to meet.

He took off, and went into hyperdrive a few minutes later.

It was certainly a very risky move on his side to go and meet the newly declared Emperor and Leader of the First Order without even Rey knowing about it. But there was no way either Rey or Deanna would have agreed to it. Since their narrow escape from the First Order's grip almost six months ago, neither of them wanted anything to do with the First Order even if Snoke was no more, and both were afraid of Darth Kai's retaliation. The new Emperor had been scanning and raking through the Galaxy trying to find the three of them. He had not spared any efforts to find them. He'd sent troops, and probes, and ships, he'd promised lavish ransoms for any information regarding their whereabouts, he'd used infamous bounty hunters and he had even ventured his ships into the Outer Rim.

The princess' first thought was to take them away to the Lagorian system, which was still controlled by the Republic. On Lagos they had abandoned the First Order ship they had stolen when running away. Then they had continued their journey to one of the moons orbiting the Luna Sea. They had remained there for two months, but when the First Order took over the entire system, they had been forced to take flight again. Kylo had then considered that it was better to take shelter in a place where Darth Kai would not have thought of looking for them. It was dangerous, but it proved safer than trying to get as far as possible from Moraband.

They had thus taken shelter on Naboo, which had been under the control of the First Order for a long time, and even hosted First Order troops. They had travelled as commoners and it had been fairly easy for the three force users to fool the random checks of the stormtroopers. Kylo Ren was extremely gifted at controlling the weak-minded.

Kylo had been to Naboo a few times as a child and their old house was uninhabited. The lake area had always been very isolated despite its beauty; it was so far away from any city that it had always remained a mere holiday spot for the people of Naboo.

And he had been right: they had been safe there for many weeks. The problem was, Kylo was not ready to spend his life as a fugitive. He had worked hard and sacrificed almost everything to become the next Leader of the Galaxy. He was not ready to give that up, and leave the First Order in the hands of someone he considered unworthy of his Darth Vader's legacy. Darth Kai was still vulnerable and Kylo was not willing to let him be the sole winner in Snoke's demise, irrespective of the costs. Kylo had to fulfill his grandfather's legacy. As far as he was concerned, there was no one who would stand in his way.

* * *

"Milord, Kylo Ren is asking for permission to land."

A young lieutenant stood uncertainly by the large doors leading to the command center inside the ancient Sith palace on Moraband.

The room, adjacent to the throne chamber, was buzzing with activity, from the large screens displaying various information, to the personnel and droids running around to execute their tasks. The young Emperor sat behind his desk in the command room, surrounded by a group of high ranking officers. For a moment all the chatter halted. Darth Kai, already aware of the other man's presence on the orbit of the planet, smirked knowingly and addressed to the officer: "Permission granted. Send someone to bring him to the throne room."

"Yes, milord."

The officer disappeared ,and Kai switched the images on his screen watching the other Sith Lord's ship enter the turbulent atmosphere of the planet. Ren had reached through the Force to him just moments before, making his presence known.

Six months of assiduous searching through the Galaxy, and the man flies right back to Moraband, as if nothing had happened. As if Kai would not have his head on a plate at the first chance he got.

True to his promise, Kai had raked the Galaxy trying to find the other two Sith and the Jedi padawan turned Sith apprentice, but they had been skillful enough to avoid any contact with the First Order.

"Now, this is a surprise," he muttered, shaking his head.

Darth Kai was sure Kylo must have had a very good reason to take such a risk in order to meet with him.

The First Order was still at war, six months after Snoke's death. Darth Kai had chosen to go to open war with the remains of the Republic still supported by Leia Organa's Resistance, and had gained a lot of territory, pushing the Resistance headquarters further and further towards the Outer Rim and making more and more planets bow to the First Order and accept his rule. Darth Kai thought his master's plan to gain power from within the ranks of the Republic was a tactic for different times, times of peace, when one had to choose more subtler strategies in order to be effective. But in the demise of the Empire and of the New Republic, given the chaos and the rise of Independents and warlords, as far as he was concerned the only way to rule was by fear, at least until the Galaxy came completely under his control. So far his strategy had worked against the Resistance. That is, until General Hux had found an opportune moment to rebel and claim the leadership of the First Order for himself. The General had first spread rumors among the troops that Darth Kai had been the one to murder Snoke. Then he had withdrawn the Forces under his direct command from a vital battle against the Resistance. Moreover, a few months before, Hux had started conducting random attacks on the largest part of the First Order fleet, the one which had kept its allegiance to Darth Kai, encouraged by the new impetus his victories and his vision had brought to the Order. Hux was not alone in his endeavor to bring Kai down and claim the throne as his own. He had been supported by various warlords depending on their interests. Kai had so far managed to stifle their attempts at independence, but he did not know for how long the odds would be in his favor. While the general's rebellion had no real chance of succeeding, Hux's actions had nonetheless put immense strain on Darth Kai's already limited armed forces and supplies. Hux truly was a nuisance.

The only good news so far was that the Jedi had not made any move. In fact, Darth Kai was not sure whether this was entirely good news or just the silence before the storm. The Sith lord was sure that after his narrow escape, Jamie Kenobi had reunited with his master. However, what they were planning remained shredded in mystery. With so many enemies to deal with at the moment, Kai preferred it that way.

The young Emperor stood and walked into the adjacent chamber, where he found his former rival surrounded by stormtroopers, their weapons at the ready. Darth Kai gestured, and the stormtroopers saluted and exited. They stood alone, facing each other in silence for a moment.

 _He has changed_ , Kylo thought instinctively.

Darth Kai did not wear his weapons. He was dressed in a dark blue velvet attire which looked expensive and suited his strong stature, making him appear both elegant and imposing. His hair was longer than before, golden curls framing his handsome face. He looked composed and confident, but showed less of his trademark arrogance.

"I gather that you are here to negotiate your surrender?" Darth Kai broke the silence.

"I'm here to establish the terms of our alliance. Nothing else," Kylo replied, evenly, and took off his mask.

Kai raised an eyebrow at him: "Is that so? Something tells me that you are here on your own. Deanna would never agree to you coming here."

Kylo smirked. "Of course she would never agree. She does not care about the future of the Empire despite it being her inheritance. But I do."

"So you're here for the good of the Empire? Why don't you cut to the chase, Ren, you must be well aware that your only usefulness to me is the fact that you know Deanna's location."

Kylo stifled his anger at Kai's words. He knew this was not going to be easy.

"I'm not here to sell Deanna," he retorted. "And you're completely wrong about my usefulness. In fact, I came here to offer my help to get the Empire under control. My place is at the heart of the Empire. I know what is going on, Kai. I know Hux's actions are extremely disruptive for our forces. And it is just a matter of time before the Jedi resurface. Let me help you to build a strong Empire. Let's be allies, not foes."

For a moment, Darth Kai looked stunned. Then he let out a genuine laugh.

"So you've come to claim a piece of the cake, Ren. I must admit, you're pretty brave. A little reckless, but brave nonetheless."

"You can't do this on your own, Kai. One man is not enough to keep this Galaxy under control. You're learning that now as well. Can't you see that what Plagueis had been working on for almost an eternity can crumble in a second if you make the tiniest mistake? Why do you think he needed us?"

Kai tilted his head, still amused.

"Plagueis was an old man and he needed to pass on his legacy," he dismissed Ren's arguments. "So what are you really proposing Ren?"

"Let me handle Hux and his troops. I know how he thinks, it will be easy to destroy him. Let me help you wipe out the Resistance. In return, let me return here to my rightful place. We will finally have peace in the Galaxy."

"I don't need you, Ren. I have everything under control," Kai snapped.

Ren inclined his head in mock surrender.

"Very well, I see you are not at all concerned with Hux or the Resistance. In that case I guess when the time comes you'll be able to confront both Jedi on your own. You will also be able to wipe out all the Jedi legacy, when Rey is the only one who knows where the first Jedi temple is. And most of all, you don't have the slightest concern that my remaining Knights are just waiting for my signal to take down all your men in the key positions."

While Kai's expression did not change, Kylo felt through the force his brief moment of hesitation.

"You know where to find me in case your change your mind. Here's a token of my sincerity."

With that, Ren turned around and walked out, his black cloak billowing behind him. Kai processed the piece of information he had left behind through the Force: Deanna was on Naboo.

Ridiculously close, while his troops had been searching as far as the Outer Rim.

He returned to the command room, settling behind his screen, watching as Ren got into his ship.

"What should we do about Kylo Ren, milord?" one officer asked. "He's leaving the planet."

"Let him go," Kai replied, resting back in his chair.

He had a difficult decision to make.


	2. Chapter 2

**Across the Galaxy**

 **Chapter Two**

Rey lingered at the edge of the vast blue lake, staring across the still water with a mix of worry, apprehension and anger. Deanna's cottage stood among the trees on the other side of the lake, wild roses and ivy crawling up the marble columns sustaining the veranda and the white walls. It captured Rey's attention like a magnet.

How was she going to tell Deanna that Kylo had disappeared? Rey had waited for a few hours, hoping for his return. From the moment she'd woken up, she had known he had left the planet, and no matter how hard she tried to find him within the Force, it proved impossible to reach him.

It was time to face reality: he'd simply left, as they had feared he would over the last few months.

For the moment, Deanna would not know he had left though. Just after her confrontation with Darth Plagueis, as soon as they had launched into hyperspace, she'd cloaked her presence in the Force.

Rey stepped into the small boat and slowly rowed to the other side, lost in thought.

At first, when Kylo had realized what had happened, he'd been angry for days, but he had not tried to go back to the Capital immediately, as he had known very well that he'd missed his chance to take control of the First Order. Darth Kai had declared himself the new leader, and he had been accepted by the First Order's ranks, fulfilling Darth Plagueis' last wish.

It had been a long journey for the three of them, especially for Rey and Kylo to regain trust in one another, and for Kylo to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, Rey had saved his life in the process. Darth Plagueis' last actions showed that he had planned to get rid of Kylo in the first place. He had had no plan whatsoever to designate him as his successor. Later, sometime throughout the last couple of months Kylo'd realized he was the most important thing to Rey and he'd brought himself to forgive her for interfering with his plans.

During this time, Deanna had kept her distance not only from them, but from everything. She'd wanted to fly as far as possible from the Capital, Moraband, the First Order and the Republic. Rey understood where the princess was coming from, but she knew from her own experiences that going into hiding forever was not the best way to stay safe. She had been proven right when Darth Kai's bounty hunters had traced them to the Lagorian system just a couple of weeks after their flight from the Capital.

Rey still wondered who it was Deanna was running from. Was it really the First Order or was it Jamie Kenobi? His name had not once been spoken during the long hours the two of them spent together every day meditating, reading and learning about the Force. Still, Rey could not figure out why Deanna had asked her to help save Jamie's life. There was no way Rey could read her master's mind.

Rey stepped out of the boat and tied it to one of the wooden pillars on the shore. She walked up the cobblestone path through the garden to the small cottage where Deanna lived together with her maid, Coralia, who had refused to leave her despite the princess' insistence.

Deanna was on the veranda, a beautiful square open place, its roof held up by six black marble columns, flanked by the two rooms of the cottage. She was seated on a rug set over the marble floor, a holobook in her hands. Her stare was on the horizon though, focusing on something that Rey could not see. She appeared to be a little startled by the sound of Rey's footsteps approaching.

"Rey," she said, putting the holobook aside. "You're late today. It's almost time for our midday meal."

"I'm sorry princess. Something's come up."

Deanna stood and signaled for Rey to follow her inside.

The cottage only had two rooms, separated by the veranda which had stunning views on both sides of the island, facing the calm blue waters of the lake in every direction. Rey followed Deanna into the dining room to the left. Lady Coralia had already set the table, and the two women sat down and started passing the food to each other quietly.

Rey studied Deanna superstitiously, wondering how to bring up the topic bothering her.

Since they had left the Capital, the princess had been obliged to abandon her luxurious clothing and hair styling. She wore simple long dresses and had Coralia braid her brown hair in a long plait, which fell to her waist. Rey herself had changed in the opposite direction, she was always wearing a dress these days outside training, and had learned to style her hair prettily from Deanna's handmaiden.

Rey was also training hard learning about the Force. She could easily produce force shields now, and her healing skills had improved. Kylo had tried to improve her lightsaber skills, but with little success. Their connection made training with Kylo difficult, and Deanna's lightsaber skills were very limited.

All in all, the last few months had proved productive for Rey. She had learned a lot. She was in love. She was well. She had hoped things could be this way forever.

But now Kylo had unilaterally decided to leave them.

"What's wrong Rey?" Deanna suddenly asked, and Rey looked away, startled, her cheeks coloring slightly. "You said something's come up."

Rey sighed and looked at her plate.

"It's not good news, milady. I don't know what to do."

She halted as she heard steps approaching, and felt the familiar presence of Kylo Ren.

"Go on, tell the princess yourself, Ben," she finished, turning around to look at the young man entering the room.

"Tell her what?" Ren asked, throwing his gloves and helmet on a nearby chair and sitting down at the table.

"About your trip today," Rey interjected angrily. "You went to see him, didn't you?"

Lady Coralia entered and set a plate in front of Kylo who pinned Rey with an angry stare in turn. They all waited for the handmaiden to leave the room before speaking again.

"Yes I did," Ren finally said. "And it was about time, too."

He turned to Deanna to gauge her reaction, but the princess continued to eat quietly.

"I offered Darth Kai my support against the Resistance and General Hux. I think he will accept it."

Deanna put down her spoon and fixed Kylo with an icy stare.

"Did you promise him my life?" she asked calmly.

"No milady. But he knows where he can find us."

"It's the same thing," Rey snorted.

"I think he will accept. He needs our help."

"I am surprised Naboo has not been already reduced to a pile of dust," the princess said, not looking at Kylo.

"Milady, please listen to me," Kylo said, ignoring Rey's angry stare. "I don't think Darth Kai will hurt you. And if you want to leave, there is still time."

"If the princess leaves, I leave," Rey declared, crossing her arms.

The line between Kylo's brows deepened.

"We can't run away forever. We're Sith Apprentices. We need to fulfill our destiny."

"I was doing just fine away from that crazy bastard," Rey replied.

Deanna suddenly stood and went to the open window facing the north side of the lake. She stared at it for a few moments in silence.

"He runs the game now, Kylo. You put all our cards on the table. The next move belongs to him."

"So you'll stay, then?"

"Even if I leave, there is little chance that I stay alive for long by myself."

Kylo went to stand at the princess' side. "What did you offer him?" she asked quietly.

"An alliance, that's all."

"You know that's impossible among the Sith."

"It worked for the three of us."

"You and Kai desire the same things. Plagueis' legacy. An alliance will never work because there's been too much…"

Deanna stopped mid-sentence and they both stilled and looked outside the window as an X-wing landed almost on the lake, and a young impetuous man jumped out of the ship and rushed in their direction. To their utmost surprise, he was alone.

* * *

Rey jumped from her chair, her lightsaber coming to life instantly in her hand. Beside Deanna, Kylo tensed too, but did not light up his saber. Hurried steps were heard on the veranda before the door swung open and Darth Kai appeared in the frame. To their surprise, he was not wearing his weapons.

"Good day to you too," he saluted, eyeing Rey's menacing lightsaber.

Rey did not answer, her attention fully focused on him, as if a very dangerous, ferocious animal was approaching her, ready to attack.

Darth Kai's eyes moved to the odd couple by the window. The princess was still facing the window. Kylo was facing him, his hand on the handle of his saber.

"I've reflected upon your proposal, Ren," Kai said. "I guess negotiations are in order."

"You want us to believe you came here alone? That there isn't an entire fleet orbiting Naboo right now?" Rey asked.

"Of course I am not alone," Kai replied. He focused his attention on Ren. "X-wings do not have much autonomy, you should know that little Jedi.'

Ren frowned, remembering how Kai had abandoned him on Valeant with an X-wing. It was a miracle Rey and he had survived.

"I came to discuss the terms of the alliance you proposed Ren. But there is a condition."

Deanna slowly turned to look at him.

"We all know what that condition is," she said.

Kai took a deep breath as their eyes met. He had tried to tell himself over the last few months that seeing Deanna again would mean nothing to him. That the distance had healed his split soul, his contradictory feelings towards her.

Looking at her now, he realized that it had all been vain hope. Wistful thinking. Nothing more.

Deanna stood there by the window, looking as stunning as ever, her attitude as daring as during their first encounter on Valeant more than one year before.

Kai steadied himself, trying to ignore those innocent baby blue eyes and recall the anger he had felt at the time of Plagueis' death.

"You killed my master," he stated icily, in stark contrast with his inner turmoil.

Ren sparked his lightsaber to life and stepped in front of Deanna.

"I see you want to make things difficult," Kai said.

"You are the one making things difficult," Ren hissed, looking towards Rey, who was far too close to Kai. The girl raised her blades and prepared to strike.

"Fine then," Kai muttered and the next thing he locked sabers with Rey. It took Kylo a couple of seconds to throw the table between them against the wall and close the distance, but by then Kai had already disarmed Rey with just a couple of well-placed strokes.

With a wave of his hand, Darth Maul's former blade flew out of Rey's reach, and Kai turned to face Kylo full on. Their blades clashed in a storm of sparks until Kai used Force lightning to blast a hole through the wall of the cottage and sent Kylo through it with his next move. He then followed his rival outside.

Kylo parried next Kai's Force lightning with the blade of his saber and met Kai half way though, their blades clashing so quickly that the fight was becoming a blur to the two women watching them. After a few minutes of intense battle, Kai managed to disarm Kylo, who had to summon a Force shield to push him away.

"Stop!" Deanna yelled rushing towards them. "You made your point, Kai. But if you came here to kill me, why don't you try your powers against mine?"

The young emperor smirked and pushed his tousled curls from his face, straightening. He put his lightsaber back in his belt.

"You don't need to do this milady," Kylo said, getting up. "I'll protect you."

"So will I," Rey added, joining the embattled trio by the lake shore.

"It's between me and him," Deanna hissed, her eyes never leaving Kai's.

Kylo shook his head and grabbed Rey by the shoulders, pulling her away towards the veranda. "Let them sort out their issues," he whispered.

"Plagueis' death was a necessity. And you are profiting from it, Kai," Deanna said, her hatred for the old man seemingly not having left her, even after his death.

Kai's azure eyes flashed with anger.

"He brought you back to life, and that's how you repaid him," he said.

"Your point of view is skewed," she hissed back. "And now because of the venom he poured into you, I can never be free of him."

"Don't assume anything," Kai said menacingly.

"Tell me he did not order you to kill me before I escaped," the princess countered angrily. "He would have never let me go alive."

"You cannot be trusted Deanna!" Kai said, closing the distance between them. "That day, I was not planning to kill you. But now I know I can never trust you."

The princess tilted her head to look at him, her expression remaining defiant.

"Yes, I cannot be trusted. I am too powerful a weapon in the hands of those who would control me. And I've had enough of being controlled, by my father, by Darth Maul, by Plagueis. I want my freedom. If I cannot have it, I am ready to die."

Kai said nothing, surprised by the sudden confession. He'd always known that the princess was more than a spoilt brat, a beautiful doll in need of protection.

"You don't know the whole story. You only know Plagueis' lies, the ones he's fed you with."

Kai recovered and grabbed her upper arm. "You _did_ try to kill him before!" he hissed.

"I did what my father asked me to do. It's not as if I had any choice!" Deanna retorted, trying to free her arm from his grip without success.

"Don't you understand? These things have always worked like that between master and apprentice over the centuries! The master expects that there will be a moment when the apprentice will be strong enough to take over, but the master is in fact never ready to release his hold on the power he has acquired. I can't blame my father for acting the way he did," she argued.

Kai liberated her and stared at the lake for a moment.

Deanna did not even realize how fast her heart was beating, waiting for his decision.

When he finally turned to her again, his face was set in stone.

"It's a good thing we know where we stand, princess. I'll never give you a chance to backstab me."

She did not register the sudden pain she felt at hearing these words, but for some reason she vividly remembered at that exact moment the way Darth Kai had tenderly healed her wounded shoulder the evening before her flight from the palace. It was her turn to look away to hide the color rising in her cheeks.

Darth Kai walked up the pebbled path to where Kylo and Rey were standing, waiting for the storm to pass.

"I think I interrupted your meal. Shall we reconvene the lunch? We have much to discuss."


End file.
